


With All Erased

by LadySlytherin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, M/M, Rating: NC17, Slash, Time Travel, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-27
Updated: 2012-11-29
Packaged: 2017-11-19 16:38:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySlytherin/pseuds/LadySlytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if you did something you knew you weren't supposed to do? What if you did something you knew could get you put in Azkaban for life? What if you did something you knew could get you - or the people you loved - killed? What if you did something so forbidden that it's not even spoken of? What if you did it once...and got away with it?</p><p>What if you did it again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Split-Second Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to say thanks to RoxieRose13. I've never been big on this sort of story, but her fic "Time Management" (specifically a line she had Blaise Zabini say) gave me an idea I haven't been able to shake. So a big thanks to Roxie for the plotbunny!
> 
> Also, I don't own HP or anything from that world. I do occasionally own an OC, but I'll let you know during the specific chapter if I've got one and who they are and that they're mine. Other than that...yeah, no. I don't own anything.
> 
> ~ Lady S.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...here's to trying something COMPLETELY different. Um, I've never done a Time-Travel fic so bear with me as I work out the kinks, okay? Please rate and review; they mean the world to me! I could really use the feedback on this one...okay guys? THANKS!
> 
> ~ Lady S.

End of 5th Year, Ministry of Magic, Department of Mysteries:  
  
  
Harry knew he shouldn't. It had been his idea to smash all of the damned things in the first place. But...if he was the only one who had one...the only one who even knew one still existed...what harm could it do? No one had been hurt when he and Hermione had used hers, after all. No one had ever even found out!  
  
Besides, he might need it someday to help kill Voldemort. And he knew the rules...he'd be careful, should it ever be necessary. While the others were distracted, Harry slipped the tiny Time-Turner into his pocket. No one would ever have to know. And, hopefully, he'd never have to use it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Harry felt Remus let go of him, his whole body shaking as he stumbled behind a pillar. No...no! Sirius could _not_ be dead! NO! His hands, slicked with sweat, fumbled with the Time-Turner's chain as he tugged it out of his pocket. He slipped the chain over his neck and stared at it, trying to remember the way Hermione's had worked. Three turns of hers had dragged them back three hours in time. This one, however, was smaller. Was it minutes, then, instead of hours? How far back did he need to go?  
  
In a matter of seconds, Harry decided. 5 minutes. That's all he needed. That was just long enough to Disillusion himself and stun Bellatrix before she got out that last spell. And, even if he missed, if he was Disillusioned he could always just dive out there and shove Sirius out of the way. Or push him so he fell forwards instead of backwards through the Veil. 5 minutes would be plenty of time. And no one ever had to know. No one.  
  
He grasped the little knob and spun carefully...one, two, three, four...as he turned it the fifth time, his sweaty fingers slipped. Damn...just under 5 minutes, then...still, it would be enough. It had to be. And if not...well, he would worry about that then. The little hourglass started to spin, faster and faster and faster as Harry's eyes watched it. He started feeling dizzy, so he closed his eyes. He'd need to be stable on his feet when it stopped. He wouldn't have much time.  
  
He felt a funny lurch in his stomach and prayed he wouldn't be sick. Then, just as suddenly, his body seemed to stutter to a halt, though he'd been unaware of moving in the first place. He shuddered, staggering slightly as his feet moved, almost without his permission - as though they'd been moving and his brain and forgotten they'd been doing so, causing him to stutter-step as his brain and body struggled to synchronize. And wasn't that just the oddest thing? He felt odd...Harry wasn't sure why, exactly...he just did. _Very_ odd.  
  
Suddenly he felt two large hands close over his shoulders, steadying him as he slowly blinked open his eyes to blinding sunlight. "Alrigh' there, Harry?" He heard the loud, gruff voice ask from behind him. "Things been goin' a bit fast today, haven' they? S'nuff to upset anyone, really. I’m jus' gonna leave ya here to get your robes and uniform, alrigh'? I'll be back in a bit..."  
  
Harry stared down at himself, stunned, as Hagrid walked away, leaving him standing before Madam Malkins' Robes For All Occasions. _'Oh Merlin, what have I done?'_ Harry's mind raced as he stared down at his too-large grey tee-shirt and the jeans held up by a length of rope he was using as a belt. At his scuffed and falling-apart trainers and mustard-colored socks. At his pale, calloused hands...the right one which should have born the words _"I must not tell lies."_ in messy, scrawling handwriting etched by a black quill and an evil woman, and yet somehow didn't. He tugged his glasses off, squinting at them...taped. Taped with Muggle masking tape, at that...not even the Spello-Tape he used when he'd been unable to remember the fixing-charm Hermione liked to use on them. He hadn't had masking tape on his glasses since...  
  
"Oh shit..." Harry whispered, grimacing at the soft, high sound his voice made. "It took me back _years_ , not minutes!" Harry looked around frantically, unsure what to do. Especially since he was in his own, 11 year old body. Which was _not_ how Hermione's Time-Turner had worked, thank you very much! Could a Time-Turner work in reverse? Could he force himself forwards the same way he'd dragged himself backwards? Now, preferably, before he accidentally changed something important...  
  
He reached up to touch the Time-Turner and panicked. It wasn't there...  
  
Harry took a deep breath. Okay...maybe this Time-Turner worked like Polyjuice, since he was still himself with all of his memories. Maybe he just had to wait and it would wear off. And if it didn't, he could always explain to Albus what he'd done when he got to Hogwarts. Surely the Headmaster would know what to do to help him. In the meantime, he needed to go get his robes and his uniforms, like he was supposed to. He stepped into Madam Malkin’s and smiled at her as she bustled him along to the back to be measured, muttering about robes and such. It wasn't until Harry saw the small blonde boy standing with his arms outstretched, being measured, that Harry remembered that this had been his first meeting with Draco Malfoy. Harry repressed the sneer trying to creep across his lips, his eyes narrowing as he thought hard. Maybe...maybe there were little things he could do - since he was here anyway - to make things better in his time. Like _not_ having to watch his back for Malfoy's petty crap all the time.  
  
"Hello." Harry smiled sweetly at the blonde, having made his decision swiftly. "I'm Harry Potter." He held out his hand for Draco to shake. "I've just found out I'm a Wizard and I don't really know anyone except the man who came to tell me. His name's Hagrid and he's the grounds keeper at Hogwarts. Are you going to be going there as well?"  
  
Malfoy's silvery eyes had widened during his little babble, but he recovered quickly. He shook Harry's hand and smiled tentatively at him. "I'm Draco Malfoy. I'll be starting my first year at Hogwarts as well. I know some others from our year, too. My parents are friends with a few other Wizarding families, so I grew up with their children."  
  
"Oh..." Harry sighed, holding his arms out at his sides for the young assistant to measure him, but turning his head to meet Draco's eyes. "I suppose you've got loads of friends, then. And you probably know loads about the Wizarding World. I'm sure I'd just annoy you with all my questions..."  
  
"Not at all, Harry." Draco smiled brightly at him, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Harry startled slightly at the sound of his first name on the blonde's lips, which made the assistant look at him funny. He mouthed 'Ticklish' at her and turned back to Draco, eyes wide, as the other boy continued. "I'd be happy to explain all about our world. And one can never have too many friends."  
  
"You'll be my first." Harry replied softly, wondering how this would work out when he met Ron at the train station. Ah well, he'd still be a Gryffindor, but now maybe he could avoid all the intense animosity with Draco, even if they didn't end up precisely _friends_. "I'm excited about going away to school. I'm sure I'm going to meet all sorts of people and learn all new things about them and it'll be so nice to have friends."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes slightly, smirking at Harry. "Really, Harry, there are some sorts of people you don't want to go making friends with." His eyes sparkled as he added arrogantly. "I can help you figure out which ones are which, though."  
  
Harry gritted his teeth as the witch told him he was all done. "Thanks." He said softly to her, then turned to Draco. Could he really hope to change the arrogant boy's opinions about the world? Or was Draco Malfoy already a lost cause, so hopelessly entangled in Pureblood Propaganda that Harry couldn't possibly cut him loose and teach him to think for himself? Well, he had to try. Every person swayed to their side was one less person fighting against them. Even a neutral Draco Malfoy was better than him as an enemy.  
  
Choosing his words with care, Harry said. "Well, Draco, it was a pleasure to meet you, really." He noticed Hagrid outside with the dripping ice cream cones Harry had forgotten all about in the years since this day. "I have to be going. That's Hagrid there...the man who came and saved me; telling me I was a Wizard and that I would be leaving my family's house and coming here, to _our_ world, where I belong. So..." He forced a smile onto his face as Draco looked incredulously between Harry and Hagrid, adding. "So thanks, for offering to be my friend. But I don't need any help deciding who's a good person. I'm pretty good at figuring it out myself, really. Like Hagrid...he's really great."  
  
With a peek from under his eyelashes, Harry added softly. "And like you. I'm sure we'll be good friends. Right?"  
  
"Um, sure, Harry." Draco looked unsure, his eyes still flicking between Harry's diminutive form and Hagrid's enormous one, but then he seemed to come to a decision and he nodded firmly, his face set. "Of course, Harry. We'll be _best_ friends. I'll see you on the train in a few weeks, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Bye, Draco!" Harry grinned happily; he couldn't believe Draco had given in to what he wanted! Maybe the Slytherin boy wasn't a lost cause after all...at least, not yet. Maybe when he went home, they'd still be amiable. And wouldn't that be interesting to see? Draco Malfoy, chummy with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Perhaps this hadn't been such a bad idea after all...  
  
Plus, if he stayed long enough to get to Hogwarts, he could catch Wormtail and have Sirius freed _now!_ Then Sirius would be his guardian and he'd be _free_ and he wouldn't die. He could save him, just like he'd intended in the first place. Harry was beaming as he stepped out of the shop, hands full of his purchases, and took a cone from Hagrid, licking at it happily. He babbled happily about making a friend and then he noticed it. The cage Hagrid was holding. With a snowy white owl sitting inside it. Harry's chest tightened...he'd forgotten all about her Harry was so used to her being his by now that he hadn't even realized he didn't have her yet. Without thinking, he hugged Hagrid tightly, heedless of the dripping, sticky-sweet treat melting all over his friend.  
  
"Oh she's wonderful, Hagrid! Thank you so much!" He took the cage carefully, smiling lovingly down at his bird. "I'm going to call her Hedwig." When Hagrid look a bit surprised, Harry remembered that he had come across the name in one of his schoolbooks the first time around. _After_ leaving Diagon Alley for the Dursleys’. Oops. He smiled bashfully. "Um...it sounds so pretty, doesn't it? Hedwig?"  
  
"Sure." Hagrid smiled back, still looking a bit confused. "Do ya need anythin' else 'afore we go? Got any questions to ask me 'afore I take ya home?"  
  
Harry remembered how he'd been brimming with questions, but he couldn't remember what he'd asked. And did it really matter? He knew the answers already, after all, and he was planning to change far more than just a few conversations. "Nope. I'm sure I'll think of a dozen or two later, but I'll just ask my new friend while we're on the train."  
  
Hagrid nodded and they headed back to Muggle London, and then on to the Dursleys' house. While Harry didn't relish the idea of spending the next month with his relatives, it was made easier with the knowledge that he would never have to go back there again. Not this time. Harry was going to free Sirius first thing when he got to school and that was that. He was going to have the life he should have had the first time around. He'd make sure not to make the same mistakes twice this time around. He was going to fix _everything_. After all, he was supposed to be the Savior of the Wizarding World, right? Well, maybe this was how he'd been meant to do it all along. Confident in his choice, sure this was the right thing to be doing, Harry fell into blissful dreams that night of the life he'd soon be living. His fairytale just might have its Happily Ever After, after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Point-to-Note: I wrote this a bit ago (it's incomplete) and there's some...issues. Not major ones, but my writing style is a bit different now, and so it might seem strange. Sorry about that! I'm doing my best to edit it a little as I post, but there's only so much I can do without doing a complete re-write.
> 
> ~ Lady S.


	2. Bound and Determined

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, just a little point of reference...when writing the previous chapter, I couldn't find my copy of OOTP. After writing it and posting it, I was walking through Walmart; I saw an HP display, snagged OOTP, stood there flipping to the end, found the scene where the Time-Turners are smashed and went, 'Well damn...it was an accident!' so...apparently, that is not canon. Or rather, the smashing is...the intentional-ness of the smashing isn't. So I guess in my fic-world, they smashed the Time-Turners on purpose. lol. Oops, my bad. ^_^ This chapter is going to jump to Harry boarding the train. YAY! 
> 
> ~ Lady S.

Harry dragged the luggage cart through the barrier and onto Platform 9 3/4. He'd debated about waiting for the Weasleys to show up, like the first time around, but decided it was better to go and find Draco first. If Draco came across him and Ron together in a compartment, he might get nasty and ruin all of Harry's wonderful plans. If they came across Ron together, Harry might be able to mitigate any damage before it was done. So, with that thought in mind, Harry's eyes scanned the platform for platinum-blonde hair. He finally spotted it, though it was Lucius he saw first, not Draco. Still, best to get this over with now. Maybe he could bring ALL the Malfoys around...yeah, okay, probably not. Still, it didn't hurt to try!  
  
Harry dragged the cart over, smiling as Draco caught sight of him. "Draco!" Harry cried, pleased at the way Draco's eyes lit up. Without stopping to think, Harry hugged him, just as he would have done to Ron or Hermione after spending time with the Dursleys. Really, he was just thrilled to see _anyone_ who wasn't a member of his horrible family. "I missed you!" Harry said, his voice muffled against Draco's shoulder.  
  
Though surprised, Draco returned the hug, peeking cautiously at his father's face over Harry's messy hair for a reaction. "Um, right, Harry. I missed you, too." He gently set the smaller boy away, smiling as he said. "This is my father, Lucius Malfoy. Father, this is Harry Potter. Remember, I told you I met him in Diagon Alley earlier this summer?"  
  
"Of course I remember, Draco. You chattered about it for long enough." Harry flinched at Lucius' cold voice, then did his best not to glare at the man when their eyes met. "Harry Potter. A pleasure to meet you. I was quite pleased to hear you and Draco had met and gotten along. Draco is a very important young man, you know. A powerful, wealthy heir to a prominent name. It's good that you two are friends."  
  
Harry smiled and said innocently. "I'm wealthy, too. Plus my Godfather is Sirius Black, and he's from a powerful, wealthy family, too. And I defeated Lord Voldemort, so I'm important too." He blinked his large, green eyes up at Lucius, pretending not to notice the startled look on the man's face as he added. "I guess I must be pretty powerful, huh? Though I haven't tried any magic yet..."  
  
"You should!" Draco said enthusiastically. "You really should! I bet you're really powerful and can do all kinds of magic, you just don't know because you haven't tried!" He smiled happily at his father, since it seemed the man approved of his befriending Harry Potter after all. "He should, right Father?"  
  
"Of course." Lucius smiled tightly. "What sort of spell would you like to try, Harry?"  
  
"Oh there's one I found in a book that I wanted to try..." Harry drew his wand, grinning. "I have a fondness for the result..." With a wicked gleam in his eye for what he knew would be the elder Malfoy's reaction, Harry said firmly. "Serpensortia!"  
  
A long black snake appeared on the ground before them, causing Lucius to draw his own wand from within his cane and Draco to back up a few steps. "Harry, back away and I will get rid of it." Lucius said, his face set. "There's nothing to fear."  
  
Harry laughed - a delighted, childish sound. "Why would I be afraid, Mr. Malfoy? I _love_ snakes." With a cheeky grin, Harry knelt and spoke loudly to his conjured-snake. **~ _'Come here, please. I'd like to hold you.'_ ~** It obeyed, it's black scales shining like oil as it wound its way up his arm, coiling around him gently. **_~ 'I promise to take care of you until I can release you, alright?'~_**  
  
 ** _~'I don't mind staying with you, Snake-Speaker.'~_** It replied, making Harry's smile widen. Perhaps a familiar besides Hedwig wouldn't be such a bad thing...  
  
He looked up from his new snake to see the awed look on Draco's face and the pale, frightened look on Lucius'. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I didn't realize you were frightened of snakes. I won't let him hurt you, though. He's very nice and he's agreed to be my pet. Isn't that wicked?" He smiled sweetly again, internally laughing with glee at the calculated gleam Lucius now had in his eyes. _'Oh yes,'_ Harry thought to himself. _'View me as an option. That's_ just _what I want you to do.'_  
  
"I can't believe you're a Parslemouth!" Draco exclaimed, still looking impressed. "Being able to speak Parsletongue is a _really_ rare gift. I just bet you'll be a Slytherin, like me, for sure." The blonde boy was grinning widely, his cheeks flushed with excitement. "Then we'll have the same dorm and the same classes and we won't have to be apart at all!"  
  
Harry flushed, a bit embarrassed at Draco's enthusiasm. "Er...yeah. My parents were both Gryffindors, though, so I might end up there. You never know." He smiled sweetly at Lucius as he added. "Shouldn't we get on the train now, Draco? I've got loads of things I want to talk to you about..."  
  
He watched as fear flashed in Lucius Malfoy's eyes. Eyes that flicked nervously from Harry, to the snake still wrapped around his arm, to his son's flushed and excited face, then back to Harry again. Harry knew Lucius feared him; not as a beacon for the Light anymore, but as a possible new Dark Lord. Which, of course, had been Harry's goal. If he believed Harry might rise to power, he'd be less likely to side with Voldemort against him. At the same time, he feared what might become of Draco if he grew to close the next "Dark Lord". Even as part of him wanted that position for Draco - right hand man, best friend, and confidant of _"Dark Lord Potter_ " - another part of him feared for his son's safety. This Harry also viewed as good. Fear for Draco's life might help sway him further to their side than a simple hope for power alone would. Yes, this was working out very well indeed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Harry sat on the train, across from Draco, watching as the station disappeared around a corner. His new snake, Vissreth, was coiled happily in a patch of sunlight on the seat beside Draco. Once he'd realized Harry could speak to - and command - the thing, he'd stopped being afraid. Hedwig was in her cage on the floor between their seats, underneath their window. She was eying Vissreth with distrust, but seemed calm enough for the moment. Harry figured they'd get used to each other soon enough. Harry was trying to figure out what to say to Draco now that they were alone when the door to the compartment banged open. Pansy Parkinson, a thin, pale girl with dark hair that framed her pretty face in a short bob, stood in the doorway. She was practically vibrating, though Harry couldn't tell if it was from nerves or excitement or anger.  
  
"Drakey, darling, who is _he?"_ She simpered in a high, whiny voice. "Why are you sitting with him instead of with me and Blaise and Theo and the others?" She pouted slightly and added. "When you didn't join us, we were worried your father had decided to send you to Durmstrang after all!"  
  
Draco sneered at her. "I'm sitting with him because he's my _best friend_." He said nothing else, and neither did Harry. Having never interacted directly with Pansy before, Harry decided it was best to let Draco deal with her. He wouldn't step in unless he had to.  
  
"But...but Drakey!" She pouted more, her dark eyes shiny with tears. "I thought Blaise and I were your best friends! Who _is_ he?"  
  
Draco looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Ah...apparently he needed to introduce himself. "Maybe." Harry said, his voice cool. "If you didn't call him _Drakey_ as though he were five, you'd _still_ be his best friend." Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock. "And I'm Harry Potter. You are...?" He trailed off, his eyes narrowed on her face.  
  
"P-pansy. Pansy Parkinson." Her voice was less-annoying when it was whisper-soft, Harry noticed. Interesting. "I...Harry Potter?" She looked at Draco briefly, then back at him. "I...oh. I didn't know Draco knew you. Hello." Her tone was hesitant, as though she were reserving judgment until she had more information.  
  
"We met this summer." Harry sneered at her, then turned to Draco and smiled warmly; affectionately. "We knew right away we were going to be best friends, didn't we Drake?"  
  
"Yes, we did." Draco smiled back, then turned to look coolly at Pansy. "We'll stop by your compartment a little later, Pan. Right now Harry and I are catching up on the rest of our summer."  
  
Pansy nodded, her eyes now focused on the snake beside Draco. "Of course, Draco." Harry noticed the lack of her ‘ _nickname_ ’ for Draco immediately and laughed to himself. "Did your father get you that?"  
  
"Harry conjured him on the platform." Draco corrected her immediately, looking smug. "His name is Vissreth. Harry's a Parslemouth."  
  
Pansy looked stunned again. "Oh! I didn't know that..." She smiled at Harry now, but he noticed the calculated look in her eyes. Merlin, were all the Slytherins like that from _birth?_ "That's _so_ interesting...I look forward to getting to know you better, Harry. Any friend of Draco's is a friend of mine, after all." She batted her eyelashes and smiled coyly at him, her voice a breathy murmur.  
  
Harry couldn't help himself; between her sudden attitude shift and Draco's disgusted look, he burst out laughing. In a dry voice, he said. "I'm sure. Perhaps we'll talk later, though I doubt we'll stay long in your compartment. I prefer to spend my time with Drake." He again smiled warmly at the blonde boy across from him, making it clear he preferred him over the  soon-to-be-Slytherin girl. "Right, Drake?"  
  
"Right." Draco's cheeks turned pink; he was thrilled Harry seemed to like him so much. "Bye, Pan. Tell the others we'll stop over and say hello later, okay?" And Harry understood from the pointed look they shared that Draco was telling her to inform the others of his new friendship with the powerful, snake-conjuring, Parslemouth Harry Potter. Which was just fine with him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Harry peeked into the compartment - Ron was alone. Perfect. "Do you know this boy? He looks about our age..." Harry smiled at Draco over his shoulder. "We should say hi..."  
  
Before Draco could say anything at all, Harry had opened the compartment door. "Hello!" Harry said brightly, radiating warmth towards the boy he knew would be one of his best friends. "I'm Harry Potter and this is my friend Draco Malfoy! You are...?"  
  
Ron swallowed hard, looking between the obviously-friendly Harry Potter _(OMG!)_ and the seemingly-distant Draco Malfoy. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley." He flushed when Draco snorted, his whole face going red. "What?"  
  
Draco opened his mouth, but Harry shot him a cold look and he closed it again. "Nothing, Ron. Draco's getting over a cold, that's all." He smiled at the redhead again. "So, you're a First Year, right? Any idea what house you'll be in?"  
  
"My whole family's in Gryffindor." Ron said quietly. "So probably there. Why?"  
  
"Just wondering. Draco thinks he'll be a Slytherin. I might be, too, but my parents were Gryffindors so I might be there. I don't know. I guess I'll just have to wait and see, huh?" Harry's eyes were glued on _‘Scabbers’_ the rat. "Is that your rat?" Ron nodded. "Can I see him?"  
  
"Um, I guess so. He's pretty boring, though." Ron held out Scabbers and Harry accepted him carefully. "His name's Scabbers and he's been in my family for years." He watched as Harry Potter studied his rat carefully.  
  
"Draco, why don't you go wait for me in our compartment?" Harry told the blonde softly, not taking his eyes off of the rat he held. "I'll be along in a few minutes, alright?" He sensed Draco hesitating and added. "Really, Drake, there's no need to be _clingy_. We aren't ickle babies, are we?"  
  
"Of course not, Harry." Draco's face was flushed...he didn't want Harry to think he was clingy. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Not wanting to anger his new best friend, he nodded politely to Ron. "Weasley. I'm sure I'll see you later as well."  
  
"Right. Bye, Malfoy." Ron's voice was hesitant, but not unfriendly. He was distracted by the way his rat had begun to squirm in Harry's grip. "I think you're holding him too tightly. Here, I'll take him back."  
  
He held out his hand for Scabbers, but Harry continued to hold - and stare at - the rat. "Harry?" He asked, his voice trembling a little. "Can I have my rat back now?"  
  
Harry sighed and glanced up at Ron apologetically. "I'm sorry, Ron. I really am. And you'll understand soon enough, I swear." He drew his wand and pointed it at the now frantic rat. "Stupefy." Wormtail went limp in his hand and he added. "Incarcerous." in a soft voice. Ropes shot out of his wand and wrapped around the rat, binding it tightly.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ron demanded, his face red and his voice high and panicked. "Why did you do that to him? Give him back!" Ron stood, his hands clenched angrily at his sides. "You're a bully!"  
  
Harry sighed and shook his head. "I told you, Ron, you'll understand soon. After the feast tonight. I'll explain it then, I promise. Can you wait?" When Ron simply glared at him, he sighed again. "I was afraid this might happen..." He turned his wand on Ron, looking guilty. "Please forgive me, Ron. Obliviate!"  
  
Harry tucked Peter Pettigrew into his robe pocket and slipped out of the compartment, leaving Ron with the memory of being introduced to Harry and Draco and the vague notion that his rat had run off at some point during the train ride. He didn't like having to modify Ron's memory (he didn't have a lot of practice with Obliviate, after all) but he hadn't seen another way. He needed Peter...and he didn't want to jeopardize his friendship with Ron. He'd fix it all later. Once Sirius was out of Azkaban, Ron would understand why he'd taken Scabbers and it would be okay. Now all he had to do was convince Draco to leave any questions until _after_ dinner. Thankfully the blonde seemed happy to defer to him...it should be easy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Harry approached the stool confidently when his name was called. He picked up the Hat and sat, placing it on his head where it immediately spoke to him. "Oh my, Mr. Potter. You _have_ been a naughty boy, haven't you? Such a willful disregard for the rules..."  
  
 _'It had to be done.'_ Harry thought unapologetically. _'Now, if you'd just place me in Gryffindor, the sooner this dinner is over the better. I have some things to take care of and limited time, as you can see.'_  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but I couldn't _possibly_ place you in Gryffindor. Not under the circumstances. Surely you can understand..." The voice buzzed in his ear in an annoying way. "I know you were there before but that was you at eleven. I'm afraid with what you've done, the _only_ place I can put you is Slytherin..."  
  
Harry mentally glared at the Hat. _'That's ridiculous! You've already put me in Gryffindor! You can't just_ change _what House I'm in after five years; that's totally insane!'_

“ _I_ am not changing anything, Mr. Potter." The Hat replied coolly. " _You_ are the one who is changing the past. Now, if you'd like to let the rat in your pocket go free and if you swear on your magic not to change anything further, I'll happily sort you into Gryffindor. Can you do that?"  
  
Harry seethed silently at the pompous request. _'No way in hell am I letting Pettigrew go. Not bloody likely. I can't.'_  
  
"Then you've made your choice, Mr. Potter, just like last time." The Hat sighed loudly in his ear. "I am sorry you're unhappy with this, but I can't do anything but put you where I feel you belong. And, clearly, that is in..." The Hat opened its brim and shouted in a loud voice that carried across the Great Hall. "SLYTHERIN!" and the startled applause from that table swallowed the horrified gasp of one Harry Potter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to write this chapter out! I wanted it to be perfect. ^_^ So, what do you think? Do you agree with the Hat? I hope no one is angry...I just felt like the Hat wouldn't be able to justify putting Harry in Gryffindor when he's got Peter Pettigrew stunned and tied up in his pocket and he's intentionally changing the past. You know? I mean, at that point, Harry's gone so far over the line that it's not even funny anymore. So the Hat had to make a choice. I had it make the only choice that still made sense to me. If Harry had been willing to walk away from his plans to change things, the Hat could have let him go to Gryffindor still, but Harry refused. He willingly (even knowing the possible consequences) said "Fuck the rules. Fuck the law. Fuck everything I've been taught about right and wrong. I'm doing this shit for ME." and that makes him, irrevocably, a Slytherin. I hope you all understand. Reviews are loved and cherished. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. What Could Have Been

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...now we get to see just how manipulative Harry is willing to be in order to free Sirius. YAY! Oh...and soon we should be returning to the future. It'll be fun! ^_^ Happy reading!
> 
> ~ Lady S.
> 
> P.S. - This is posted on at least one other site (possibly as many as 3 other sites, I can't remember) in it's incomplete state, just as it will be here once I get up everything I've written. This version, however, is edited and smoothed and polished and buffed to a nice, pretty shine. So this is the best version there is of it. <3

Harry dropped the Sorting Hat back on the stool and stomped over the Slytherin table. He sat down next to Draco, an angry look still on his face. "Er, Harry...are you okay?" Draco asked softly, touching his arm lightly. "You seem angry. Don't you want to be in Slytherin?"  
  
Harry winced, knowing he had to explain away his frustration. "The Hat wanted to put me in Gryffindor." He said softly. "I don't have anything against Gryffindor, but I really wanted to be with you. The Hat argued a lot."  
  
"Oh." Draco's cheeks turned pink and he smiled shyly over at Harry. It was an unusual expression to see on Draco Malfoy's face, but Harry found it to be oddly endearing, which alarmed him slightly. "I thought the Hat was taking a long time to Sort you. I was afraid you'd be put in Gryffindor too, and then you'd make other friends and maybe you wouldn't be _my_ best friend anymore. You'd be best friends with someone else."  
  
Harry nodded slowly. "Well, I'm in Slytherin, so that's not really a worry. But I probably will have friends in other Houses too, so you can't run around being jealous about it." He gave Draco a stern look. "And you can't be mean to my other friends, either. You'll need to be nice to them. For my sake."  
  
Draco nodded slowly. "As long as I'm your _best_ friend, I can deal with you having other friends, I suppose." He pouted slightly, his lower lip sticking out a bit, looking every inch the petulant 11 year old spoiled child he was - which amused Harry greatly since _he_ was neither 11 (in any way but the technical physical sense) nor had he ever been a spoiled child...or petulant, really - and  continued in a slightly sulky voice. "And I won't be mean to them if they aren't mean to me, Harry. Just don't expect me to put up with it if they trying to steal you away from me."  
   
Harry frowned...it almost sounded like Draco was a jealous boyfriend. Was that normal for Slytherins? Did they all bond together so tightly...jealous of anyone infringing on their 'territory' when it came to their friends? Was it because they didn't make friends outside their House, or because they didn't make many close friends even _inside_ their House? Or did it have more to do with the fact that Draco Malfoy always had to have the best of everything...with _Harry Potter_ being the _best_ a _'best friend'_ could get? Harry didn't know...he couldn't be sure at this point. Though Parkinson's possessive reaction on the train, as well as the suspicious and also semi-possessive behaviors of Zabini and Nott when they'd visited their compartment, made him think it was a Slytherin thing. Especially since Nott had been nicer since he'd sat down beside Draco, greeting him warmly though Harry had only nodded a vague reply. And now the Sorting was over and everyone else was where they'd been originally and Albus was making a speech and Harry tuned it out since, really, did it matter? He'd technically already heard it, even if the memory was a vague and fuzzy one at best.  
  
Once food appeared, Harry spoke quietly to Draco. "I need the password to the Slytherin Common Room." He kept his voice level, a trick he'd learned when doing his damnedest to lie to Snape during Occlumency lessons and when lying to Delores Umbridge. "Who do we ask?"  
  
"The Prefects will give it to us after dinner." Draco replied.  
  
He was giving his full attention to filling his plate with things Harry was sure had only appeared on the Gryffindor table during the Triwizard Tournament, when the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived. Snails and that weird shellfish stew and all sorts of other strange delicacies that Harry recognized by sight, if not by name, from Uncle Vernon's business dinners. And...was that _caviar_ Draco was smearing all over a whole-wheat toast point? Ugh...Harry scrunched his face up and searched the table for anything he might recognize. He'd never realized the Houses were served food suited to what they preferred to eat...but then, he'd never really looked at what the other Houses were eating. Finally he settled, with a sigh, on taking a few of the toast points - with _out_ caviar - and some sort of inverted mushroom cap stuffed with some sort of pureed meat and vegetables that he was pretty sure he'd seen Aunt Petunia serve before, though he didn't actually know what it tasted like.  
  
"I need it now." Harry responded almost casually. "We're going to see the Headmaster after dinner and I don't want anyone to know right away, nor do I want to have to ask him for it. I'd rather just know it in advance. Less to worry about."  
  
Draco's head came around in surprise. "Why are we going to see the Headmaster? What could we possibly need to see him for on our first night at Hogwarts, Harry?" He flicked his eyes briefly to Harry plate and frowned. "Surely that's not all you're going to eat? You're terribly thin, Harry...it's almost unhealthy!"  
  
Harry sighed heavily, trying to figure out what to say. "I don't eat much, and I'm a picky eater. It's fine. Promise." Then, addressing the real issue, he said. "As to seeing the Headmaster...well, it's a matter of life and death and we'll just leave it at that for right now, shall we? In the meantime, I _need_ that password, Draco. Seriously."  
  
Draco frowned, looking suspicious but intrigued. Curiosity won out after only a few moments and he sighed, pointing a few seats down to a blonde girl in their year that was looking a little sulky as she talked to Pansy Parkinson and another Slytherin girl in their year that had waist-length straight auburn hair streaked liberally with honey-blonde strands. "Daphne's older sister, Callidora, is a Prefect. She's actually probably going to be Head Girl next year. Daphne might be able to get it for you, I suppose."  
  
After a moment of thought and careful study of the sulky blonde girl, Harry tapped the auburn-and-honey haired girl beside him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss..." He trailed off, since he'd not been paying much attention to the Sorting and couldn't seem to remember the girl's name. He'd never paid a lot of attention to the Slytherins, other than Malfoy...and especially not the girls.  
  
She turned to stare at him, her wide eyes a pale greenish-blue color. "Davis. Tracey Davis." Her voice was soft and almost sweet, but when she smiled it didn't quite reach those beautiful eyes. "Can I help you?"  
  
"I need to speak with Daphne Greengrass for a moment." Harry explained calmly. He said nothing more; he knew better than to give a Slytherin more information than was strictly necessary. Tracey waited a long moment in silence before realizing Harry really wasn't going to tell her anything else.  
  
"Fine." With a slightly indignant little huff of breath, the girl stood and asked Daphne to switch seats with her. Despite Tracey's mock-whisper Harry clearly heard her say. "Harry Potter wants to talk to you, so switch seats with me. Though I should think he could have at least said hello before using me as a bloody owl to deliver this message to you!"  
  
Daphne nodded regally (leaving Harry a moment to wonder why _Pansy_ was Slytherin's Princess, not her) then stood and allowed Tracey to take her seat. She approached the now-empty seat beside Harry and smiled tightly. Her blonde hair was straight and golden and fell in a loose, sleek waterfall down past her waist. Her blue eyes were bright as sapphires and reflected the same hard, cold qualities of the gemstone. She had Irish-cream skin and her lips were the same dark, cherry-red color as Harry's, though he suspected her color came from lipstick. She sat down, that same small smile on her lips.  
  
"So, you wished to speak with me, Harry Potter?" She asked softly; her voice was cultured, like smooth silk sliding over every inch of his skin and it freaked him out a little to have his 1five year old libido in this 11 year old body. When Harry said nothing, merely looked cautiously between her and Draco, she found herself growing annoyed. "Well, what _is_ it? And hello, Draco, dearest." She added almost absently. Ah, that explained Pansy's position as Slytherin's reigning Princess...she was obviously closer to Draco who was, after all, Slytherin's Ice Prince.  
  
"Daphne. We need for you to get us the password to the Common Room." Draco's smooth drawl cut through Harry's thoughts and he waited patiently while Draco handled the girl. He had no idea what tact to use with Daphne Greengrass yet, after all, so it was best to leave it to Draco. "We were hoping you could ask Callidora for us."  
  
Daphne's whole face went icy. "Why would I do that, Draco?" Her voice gave the term 'frosty' a whole new meaning. "Callidora and I are not exactly on friendly terms, as you know. Besides, there's nothing in it for me." When Draco opened his mouth to protest, she held up a hand and shook her head. "No, Draco, we both know there's nothing you can offer me that I couldn't get on my own. Sorry; I can't help you."  
   
Before she could stand, Harry grabbed her arm. She turned, pinning him with a stare from narrowed, ice-blue eyes on him. "Excuse you." She intoned coldly, in a tone Harry had only heard from Draco and Snape before. " _What_ do you think you are doing?"  
  
"Draco may not have anything you want, but I do." Harry smiled sweetly at her, not releasing her arm just yet. "That's your sister over there, right? The gorgeous blonde girl with everyone fawning over her, like she's some sort of Princess or something? Callidora Greengrass certainly casts a long shadow, doesn't she?" His voice was even, almost casually conversational, and he finally let go of her knowing she wouldn't leave yet.  
  
Her pretty little bow of a mouth was pursed tight as she considered him. "Callidora is perfect, as you can see. She's always been perfect and she always will be perfect and nothing you say will change that. If I'm in her shadow, so be it. It's how things are. What could you possibly think to offer me?"  
  
"I'm Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry said it simply...he somehow knew just what to say to make this girl pay complete attention to him. Maybe the Hat had been right after all...was there where he should have been all along? Was this was had been meant to be? Had he been tampering with his own Fate for longer than he'd realized?  
  
"I'm aware of who you are." Daphne rolled her eyes slightly. "As though the scar on your head leaves any room for doubt." She shook her head in an annoyed manner. "I'm forced to repeat myself, which is something I _hate_ doing. What can you offer me?"  
  
"Myself." Harry grinned when both she and Draco made strangled little choking sounds. "Not literally...just an act. I'm a Parslemouth, you know. And very powerful. I'm best friend with Draco Malfoy, who everyone knows is destined to be Slytherin's reigning Prince. I'm also going to be making history later tonight, though I need that password to do it. If you'll be kind enough to get it for me, I'll let some of my fame and prestige rub off on you."  
  
"I don't understand." Daphne's voice was slow and cautious. Admitting a weakness like that wasn't easy for her. "Are you saying you'll be my friend if I do this, and be my enemy if I don't?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "You're thinking small. I'm saying I'll pretend to have a crush on you. Follow you around, offer you gifts, praise your beauty and intelligence and wit to any who will listen, hang on your every word...and you, in turn, will reject me." His smile was really more of a smug smirk at this point, since his plan was really very clever. "I'll even start now, so by the time everyone is buzzing about what's going to happen tonight and in the next few days, you'll already be firmly viewed as my 'crush' and when you _continue_ to reject me, everyone will want you. After all, who could be so wonderful and amazing and _perfect_ that they would refuse _me?"_  
  
"Won't everyone just be pissed at me for breaking your heart?" Daphne asked, though she seemed to be intrigued by the idea and obviously wasn't dismissing it out of hand, which Harry viewed as a positive thing.  
  
"Not at all." Harry smiled charmingly at her. "See, once I've moped for a few days you'll come over and explain that you just think we're so young...wouldn't it be better to just be friends for right now? And maybe, in a few years...and you'll leave it at that and I'll agree and everyone will say it's because I'm hoping in a year or two you'll change your mind and they'll be desperate to get to you before you decide you really _do_ want me."  
  
Daphne fell silent, considering. Then, she nodded once, firmly, almost to herself. "Alright. I'll be right back."  
  
She walked calmly away and spent several minutes speaking to her sister. Callidora really was lovely...perhaps it was the fact that she'd always been in her sister's shadow that made her stand in Pansy's later. She was just used to that being her place. Finally the girl stomped her foot, pouting, and Callidora grew pink in the cheeks and snapped something back. Then Daphne was heading back to her seat beside Harry and she was grinning, her eyes gleaming. She sat down and smoothed her robes, practically glowing with pleasure.  
  
"It's 'Blood Purity'." She said in a pleased way, her eyes sparkling. "I told Callidora my friends didn't believe she was really a Prefect and that they were calling me a liar and I needed the password to prove it to them. When she refused, I told them that since they were called _me_ a liar, despite the Prefect badge she's got on, that they were calling _her_ a liar too, so she told me." She tilted her head at Harry. "So...how do we do this?"  
  
"Just rebuff me gently. For instance, in three seconds, turn your head to the right." Harry then counted off in his head and at two seconds leaned in to kiss Daphne on the lips.  
  
Since she listened, at the last second her head turned and his lips brushed her cheek instead. He blushed as everyone at Slytherin table fell silent...who did this girl think she was? Hadn't she heard everything being said about the young, disheveled boy who had just tried to kiss her? Someone further up the table murmured something about her being Callidora's little sister and someone else saying how it was obvious she'd be just as lovely - if not more so - than said sister. After all, _Harry Potter_ was already interested in her, so she must carry great potential! And she had refused him! Who would ever have imagined such a thing? Even Callidora – Who, of course, had _never_ imagined that her little sister, Daphne, would attract the attention of such an amazingly powerful suitor! – was staring in speculative silence at her younger sister. Just who did Daphne think she was?  
  
Undeterred by the whispers around them, Harry leaned forward again, as though attempting the kiss again. As though he expected Daphne to have turned her head from surprise, not rejection. She pulled backwards this time, moving away from him. "Harry, please, stop that!" She protested, her voice a breathy little murmur, sweet and pleading and gentle. "I...just, don't. Okay? Don't!"  
  
Then, as though flustered, her cheeks bright pink, she hopped up and hurried down the table, shooting strange, unreadable looks at Harry over her shoulder every few seconds. Harry forced himself to look sad, his eyes following the girl's movements until she was safely seated down the table from him. He sighed and turned back to his plate, poking listlessly at his mushroom cap and nibbling a toast point. He was sure he looked heartbroken and despondent. Especially when a voice to his left - obviously a Fourth or Fifth Year boy - attempted to cheer him up.  
  
"Don't worry, Harry! I'm sure she's just embarrassed and surprised, that's all." The boy tried to sound encouraging. "Surely she'll come round in a day or two!"  
  
Draco snorted. "Please. Daphne is a Pureblood of the _highest_ caliber and knows better than to refuse or accept any relationship proposal at her age." He snorted again, shaking his head. "I told you to wait another year or two, Harry. But _nooo_...one look and you decide you've _got_ to have the girl." Draco gave Harry a pitying look. "Really, you're going to have to listen to me when it comes to this sort of thing. I know what I'm talking about."  
  
Harry sighed heavily as his food vanished and dessert appeared on the table. "I suppose so. I just...she's just...I mean...well, look at her, why don't you?" He peered up the table at the blonde girl again, before sighing wistfully. "I've just got to have her, Drake. I do. I mean, really, I deserve the best, don't I? She's so beautiful...and she was so clever when she was talking to me...so funny..." And with another sigh, Harry said nothing more for the rest of the meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't the original stopping place, but unfortunately it was getting WAY too long, so I had to pick a place to split it and I chose here, since it made more sense than anything else. There's actually another split to the initial chapter, since it's actually SOOO much longer than I thought it would be originally. So yeah. I'm like, trying to figure out where the next split belongs, since there's so much going to happen in such a short time and I need to keep some people partially in the loop and others entirely out and all of them in the room, so...yeah. Leave me some feedback; I love it dearly! Happy reading! 
> 
> ~ Lady S.


	4. "Would you believe me if...?"

"Don't worry so much." Harry said calmly as he dragged Draco behind a statue. "If anyone notices us missing they'll just assume I'm off sulking over Daphne's rejection and you're comforting me. And Daphne knows we've got the password, so she'll help divert suspicion from us."  
  
"So why are we hiding behind a statue?" Draco demanded in a furious whisper as the messy-haired brunette peeked around it. "I thought we were going to see the Headmaster!"  
  
"We are. I just need to grab someone first." Just then a loud, bustling group of Gryffindors flooded the hallway and Harry reached out and grabbed Ron, pulling him behind the statue with them.  
  
"Harry!" Ron's voice was a bit loud, but the Gryffindors were moving away and were still being loud themselves. He spotted the blonde and added. "Er, Malfoy. Hello. Why are we behind a statue?"  
  
"We have to see the Headmaster." Harry explained. "I've got something to tell him and you need to be there, Ron." Harry smiled brightly and stepped out into the hallway again, now that it was empty. "Come on. Let's go."  
  
He walked off and, with a confused and uneasy look passing between Ron and Draco, the other two boys hurried to catch up. "But, Harry, I won't be able to get into Gryffindor!" Ron protested. "I don't know the password yet, or even how to get there!"  
  
"I can show you." Harry replied calmly, without thinking. "And the password is Caput Draconis." He grinned when both boys looked at him like he was crazy. "Would either of you believe me if I said I was a Seer?" When they shook their heads, Harry laughed. "I didn't think so...still, it was worth a shot. Let's just say I know a lot of things, okay? Now hurry. I don't want to be caught."  
  
Finally, after only a few short minutes, they were standing before a stone gargoyle. "I suppose you're just going to pull the password for the Headmaster's office out of thin air as well, Harry?" Draco's drawl was amused, but also vaguely curious.  
  
"Possibly." Harry replied, since he wasn't sure when during the year Albus changed his password, or how often. "Sherbet Lemon." He said calmly and, sure enough, the gargoyle jumped aside.  
  
Harry led the other two boys onto the rising staircase and they were shortly deposited outside the Headmaster's door. A slightly-muffled "Enter!" was called out and Harry opened the heavy wooden door to see Albus seated behind his desk, faced by a flustered-looking Minerva and an obviously-worried Severus. "Headmaster." Harry said with a grin. "Professors." He inclined his head slightly to each of his Heads of House. "I'm glad you're here; it will save some time. I have an urgent matter to discuss."  
  
Without saying anything else, Harry drew the Stunned and Bound rat out of his pocket and threw it - none too gently - onto the Headmaster's desk. "Scabbers !" Ron cried out, moving forward, before being stopped by the wand Harry leveled at his chest. "I don't understand..."  
  
"You will in a moment, Ron." Harry's voice was gentle, though his wand didn't waver. "That is _not_ a rat. That is an unregistered Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew, who faked his own death to frame my godfather, Sirius Black. I want this injustice righted, and I want it righted _now_." He flicked his eyes briefly to Dumbledore’s. "If you could call Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minister Fudge and have them come and verify the identity of Pettigrew, I'd appreciate it. The sooner Sirius is freed, the better."  
  
McGonagall was staring at Harry intently. "You recognize this rat as an Animagus? How is that possible?"  
  
"Call it a gift." Harry said calmly. "One I'll happily explain to you, Professor Snape, and Albus once Pettigrew is in custody." He smiled tightly at her. "And you're a cat. A grey tabby, with square markings around your eyes." Her eyebrows went straight up into her hairline and he grinned a little wider. "Albus...Kingsley and the Minister, please?"  
  
Albus nodded slowly and moved to make the necessary fire calls. Despite the late hour, it was only about 20 minutes later when both Fudge and Kingsley stepped through the Floo into the Headmaster's office. Harry's wand remained trained on Ron during this time...he knew his friend's temper and didn't quite trust him not to interfere just yet. "Hello, Kingsley." Harry greeted the large Auror with a warm smile, then inclined his head with a colder smile to Fudge. "Minister."  
  
They both greeted him with politeness and - from Fudge - a bit of praise and ass-kissing that Harry had come to expect. "I apologize for the lateness of the hour, but I feel 10 years is long enough for an injustice to remain unrighted." Harry said without further regard for pleasantries. "I need _that_ ," He pointed with his free hand to the rat. "Escorted to Azkaban and my godfather, Sirius Black, freed. That is Peter Pettigrew, who was my parents’ Secret Keeper and faked his own death, killing 13 Muggles in the process and framing Sirius. I want Sirius cleared, I want reparations made from the Ministry for the failure to use Veritaserum to prove Sirius's innocence, and I want Pettigrew locked away forever. I also want my godfather awarded full guardianship of me immediately upon his release and I formally request to see him as soon as possible."  
  
A few quick spells later and Peter was a man again...still bound and Stupefied, but a man. Harry finally lowered his wand from Ron, who was a sickly grey-green color. "A man...I...he slept in my _bed_...ugh! I think I might be sick…"  
  
"Only recently." Harry soothed quickly. "He's been Percy's rat for a while, right? So now you can tease Percy about having a creepy old killer as a beloved pet!" He saw Ron perk up a bit and added. "Don't forget to tell Fred and George the whole story. Which reminds me...please don't be mad..." Harry pointed his wand at Ron and quickly said, _‘Finite priori incantatem,’_ and reversed the _'Obliviate'_ he had cast on the train.  
  
Ron's eyes widened as his memories reasserted themselves, then he paled but nodded slowly. "I guess I understand why you did what you did. An explanation might have been nice, but...yeah, I get it." Ron huffed out a breath. "Cor blimey...a Dark Wizard was just hiding out in my house for 10 years...that’s insane! Wait until Mum finds out..."  
  
Harry grimaced, glad he wouldn't be around when Molly was told all of this, then turned back to the silent Kingsley and the gaping Fudge. "So...about releasing my godfather, making reparations for his wrongful imprisonment, and awarding him full custody of me...?" Harry smiled sweetly, waiting for the reactions he knew were coming.  
  
"I'll see this scum taken to Azkaban immediately, Mr. Potter." Kingsley was solemn-eyed. "Sirius will be released within the hour and brought to the Ministry to handle all the paperwork."  
  
"I shall be awaiting them with the necessary persons to correct this, Harry, rest assured!" Harry winced...he'd always hated the familiarity with which Fudge addressed him. "I cannot say for certain what reparations will be offered, but perhaps an Order of Merlin, First Class, for his attempt at taking out the Dark Wizard Peter Pettigrew and the unjust imprisonment he served because of it? I shall, of course, discuss this with him when he arrives at the Ministry. And as your parents' will clearly names Mr. Black your guardian, we shall of course transfer you to his custody as quickly as possible."  
  
And now...Harry waited for what he knew was coming, still standing calmly between Draco and Ron. "I'm afraid Harry cannot be transferred out of his Aunt and Uncle's care, Minister. There is old blood magic at work, and it will help keep Harry far safer than anything else could."  
  
Harry immediately dropped his robes, which he'd already begun unfastening as Albus spoke, and quickly shed his tie and shirt, revealing his skin-and-bones frame and the bruises and scars mottling his skin. "I am beaten, starved, and locked up while at my Aunt and Uncle's house, Minister. I have suffered there for 10 years; I will _not_ return. Sirius is my rightful guardian and will no doubt place his home under Fidelius if requested to keep me safe. Blood wards or not, I am _not_ safe in the home of my family."  
  
There were gasps of outrage from McGonagall, Snape, Ron, and Draco. Albus looked worried and deeply troubled, as did Kingsley, and Fudge was clearly horrified. "No, Harry, you will _not_ return to that house, blood magic or not! I shall ensure Mr. Black has full guardianship immediately and send him to the school to visit with you as soon as possible!  Now, Kingsley, I shall head to the Ministry and alert the necessary officials while you take this man to Azkaban and return with Mr. Black."  
  
The two swiftly Flooed back out again, leaving a very silent room in their wake. Harry redressed slowly; he felt a bit bad about calling Albus out on the whole abuse-thing, but he'd never spoken up about it in his time and, well, it hadn't gotten him far. Bars on his windows and starved and hit...every summer. He didn't need that. He needed _Sirius_ and to be safe and to feel loved and to be somewhere where he could finally be _happy_. He hoped Albus would forgive him; that he'd eventually understand. It wouldn't be easy to repair the trust between him and the man he loved like a grandfather, but he felt they could do it. It would just...take time; something he had in abundance now.  
  
"I think you should go to bed now, Ron." Harry finally broke the silence, touching the other boy's shoulder gently. "I just felt you needed to know why I did what I did. Why I had to." Ron nodded slowly, looking at Harry with a small smile that made Harry hopeful for their future friendship. "I need to stay and talk to the Headmaster though, so maybe one of the portraits could show you the way to Gryffindor Tower...?"  
  
Immediately one of the old Headmasters volunteered and Ron nodded. "Thanks, Harry. For explaining. I'm...happy to count you as my friend. Really." He gave Harry another small smile. "I already got the password from Percy, so...I'll just be going now." And Harry silently thanked Ron for covering for him, then waved as the redhead said a polite –if stilted – goodbye to Draco and then followed the portrait out of the office and off to bed.  
  
Harry turned back to the others in the room. "So...I'm guessing you have some questions." The adults nodded, while Draco merely sat, staring at him silently. He hadn't spoken at all since they'd gotten there and Harry gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Draco, but there are some things I can't tell you. Hell, you wouldn't believe me if I did, so..." He shrugged helplessly. "Just...don't be mad I'm not filling you in, okay?"  
  
Draco nodded and Harry immediately cast a bubble of protective privacy charms around himself and the adults. "Protego totalem. Muffliato. Silencio." Then, with another apologetic look to the blonde who could no longer hear them, he turned to his Professors and said grimly. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm from the future and I'm here to save everyone?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so...yeah. That's Harry fixing the Sirius thing, and the whole "abuse at the Dursleys' thing" that I felt would be the only way to ensure that Albus couldn't interfere with Sirius gaining custody of Harry. So...hope you all liked it! Let me know what your thoughts are and how you're taking this whole thing. Any ideas or requests or things you'd like to see? Probably a maximum of two more chapters as 11-year-old Harry before we snap forward again, so brace yourselves! ^_^
> 
> ~ Lady S.


	5. "This will be awkward..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, let’s see how good Harry is at prevaricating and if he can talk his way out of this one! *shakes head* At least he's had a month to think of what to say! Just so you all know...Harry's time is almost up. He earned five weeks in this body...most of which were spent trapped w/ the Dursleys. Sept. 4th will be five weeks. It's the night of the 1st. So yeah...just about out of time. So be prepared for the snap-back soon! Happy reading!
> 
> ~ Lady S.

Harry savored the look of stunned surprise that momentarily graced the faces of his Professors. Not many people could say they'd floored both Albus _and_ Snape with the same comment. "Is that a no, you don't believe me, then, and are worried I've lost my mind? Or is that a yes, you believe me, and are worried all of us in the future have lost our minds?"  
  
Harry knew his wording was deceptive. It made it seem like there'd been a _plan_ to send him back. Like he had _permission_ to be there, changing all sorts of things. Severus spoke first; his voice was hoarse. "How far?"  
  
"Almost five years." Harry replied softly. "I can't say much. Just that things got bad, and they got bad _really_ fast. Faster than any of us could keep up with. Faster than we could handle properly. It was...it was too much." He flicked his eyes to Minerva. "I...I didn't mean to come quite this far back. It wasn't supposed to happen quite the way it did. I was a Gryffindor originally...and I wasn't supposed to go through the Sorting Ceremony again."  
  
Minerva nodded. "We were all... _surprised_...you were a Slytherin. But if you're here to change the past, I can see how the Hat would make the choice it did. Still, that wasn't meant to change? You didn't _mean_ to be Sorted somewhere other than Gryffindor this time around?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No. This was...well, it wasn't as well-planned as it could have been. It was about helping people pick the better side." Harry flicked his eyes to Draco, then very quickly looked back to Minerva. "And about making people allies sooner than we thought we'd need to worry about it. It's complicated. And like I said, the rules...I can't say much. I just need a way to give _my_ memories to the 11 year old me when I snap forward in time again. Which will be _soon_."  
  
"How soon?" Albus spoke softly; his blue eyes were twinkling, but his face was serious. "Do you know when you'll be going back? Or when you'll be returning to?"  
  
"I can't say for sure when I'll leave, but it will be soon." Harry frowned, trying to explain how he felt. "When I came back, it felt almost like a Portkey...that sharp tug behind my stomach. I feel that now...but not hard. Just a gentle pulling. But it's been getting stronger every day and I know soon it's going to get strong enough to pull me forward again. I won't have much warning, I don't think. And I'll return to June 18th, 1996. Evening time. I don't really know much else. Except, like I said, I need a way to give my memories to my 11 year old self after I'm gone."  
  
Severus was frowning intently at Harry. "There _is_ a potion, but for it to integrate five years of memories into your 11 year old self, you'll be incapacitated for months. You'll have to be isolated; you'll miss classes."  
  
Minerva bit her lip. "Well, technically he _wouldn't_ be missing classes. I mean, he'd gain the memory of them back. Plus more. And we can ensure we have the potion ready for Harry to re-drink on the evening of the 18th to catch him up on the changes of the next five years." She frowned. "Although losing another few months won't be good..."  
  
"Severus will have the next five years to work on a solution to the problem of the potion incapacitating Harry." Albus looked at Harry over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Now, Harry. Since we need a drop of your blood for the potion, and we can't transfer memories from after the drop of blood was taken, you will see Severus after every meal to give him a drop of blood. This way your memories are as up-to-date as possible when you snap-forward. Now, what _can_ you tell us?"  
  
"Er..." Harry frowned, trying to think of something safe to say but that would also benefit him. "Okay, I'm a Parslemouth, but originally I didn't know that until later. Or rather, I didn't know it was rare to be able to speak to snakes. I conjured one earlier and it's sort of my pet now." He shrugged uncomfortably and continued. "Er, I can cast all kinds of spells that I know from...training. I wasn't sure I'd still be able to, but even my Obliviate worked and I've never been the best at it."  
  
"You've begun training at 1five?" Albus was pale now. Obviously this idea worried him. "Though it speaks well of your power that you can cast such advanced spells from your 11 year old body. Only your mind has traveled backwards, after all. Your power level and your ability to control it is still the same as when you were 11. You show great mastery for being so young."  
  
"Yeah, I've always been a bit advanced." Harry shrugged again, uncomfortable once more. "I actually started training at 14." He didn't add the reason why...being entered into the Triwizard Tournament. Or that his continued training this past year was because of the DA classes. That wasn't something he could share safely. "And I was being taught Occlumency, though I was having some issues with learning it. There was a lot happening, so it was hard to focus."  
  
Severus looked surprised. "I was...am...will be..." He frowned, annoyed. This tense-thing was awful to figure out. "I'm the one assigned to teach you Occlumency?" There...that sounded acceptably ambiguous about time.  
  
Harry nodded cautiously; perhaps he could mitigate some of the hatred Severus Snape felt? "Er, yeah. We spent hours working on it together. Learned a lot about each other. I...apologized for my father's treatment of you during your school years. He was wrong to do the things he did; though calling my mother a Mudblood when she tried to defend you wasn't exactly good manners on your part." Harry smiled slightly, trying to make it seem like he and Snape were closer than they actually were. He didn't think he _had_ actually apologized for his father, but only for spying on Snape's memories. Still, he was being mostly honest. His father had been a bully when he was younger and Harry felt badly for the tormented younger Snape.  
  
Severus Snape's eyes widened. It was obvious he knew which moment in time Harry was referring to. "I see. Well, Mr. Potter, it seems you have more sense at 1five than your father did. Perhaps you take after Lily, instead, despite your looks."  
  
Seeing how shrewdly Snape was studying his face, obviously looking for something that _wasn't_ reminiscent of James Potter, Harry tugged his glasses off. "I have her eyes." He said it quietly and Severus's dark eyes locked on Harry's uncovered green ones with a startling intensity. "Everyone always says I remind them of her. Mischievous, but not in a mean way. Kind. Caring. Thoughtful. I know you don't see it yet...maybe you won't for a long time. But I'm a lot like her. And my dad didn't stay a bully forever. James grew up eventually. And I'm sure, if he could, he'd apologize himself for what he did to you." He put his glasses back on, waiting for Snape to respond.  
  
Severus nodded slowly. "I shall see about getting that potion modified for your return. There must be some way to make the memory-transfer easier on you." Harry smiled slightly and nodded; he knew an olive branch when he saw it and he wasn't going to turn this one down. Not for anything. Severus Snape was too powerful of an ally.  
  
Harry turned back to Minerva and Albus. "I'm very close to you both. You're like my family. I come to you for guidance and support and I know you won't judge me too harshly when I have stupid Gryffindor moments where I follow my instincts without thinking about it first." He sighed. "I hope you'll both still trust me...still be close to me...despite the fact that I know you don't understand why I've broken the laws to travel here. Why I'm changing things."  
  
He met Dumbledore's eyes steadily. "I had no choice. _We_ had no choice." He meant himself and Sirius now, but it didn't necessarily sound that way and he knew they assumed he meant himself and Albus. "There were things too horrible happening...things we had to stop." He sighed. "It's the second time I've righted wrongs with Time-Travel, Albus. The first time, you cautioned me heavily regarding what could and couldn't be changed...regarding the laws and the dangers and the lives we had to save. This time, I knew that stuff already. The lives...they matter. A lot." He smiled grimly. "Enough that this had to be done. Too much blood...too much pain...it just couldn't be allowed to happen that way."  
  
He turned back to his former Head of House again. "Oh. And I was Gryffindor's Seeker starting in my First Year. Youngest player in a century. Never failed to catch the Snitch in any game where I remained conscious." He grinned widely at her. "I'm sorry you'll be losing me. I think it's best if I don't play First Year anyway. I'll be losing two months as it is; Quidditch on top of that will just be too much, I think. Next year, maybe?" He turned to Snape with a tilt of his head and received a nod. "Good. I'll miss flying. I always did love it."  
  
"I think, Harry, that that is enough information." Dumbledore’s voice was gentle, but firm. "You should take young Mr. Malfoy and head off to bed. Do you need the password?"  
  
"We have it already." Harry replied. "And okay. I'll give a drop of blood after breakfast, then?" The others nodded and Harry dismantled his wards quickly, smiling at Draco. "Sorry about that, Drake. We've got to go to bed now, okay?"  
  
The blonde nodded; they said goodnight to the Professors and then headed down. Draco waited only until they reached the bottom of the staircase and stepped away from the gargoyle before he started to ask questions. "So what the bloody hell was that all about? I mean, really Harry, I get the whole save-your-godfather thing, even if I don't understand _how_ you knew all of that, but the rest of it? The complex spells and the privacy and the intense way Uncle Sev was staring at you? I don't get it!"  
  
"And you won't." Harry kept his voice soft. "Look, Drake, there's a lot going on that you can't understand, okay? For a lot of reasons, that I also can't explain. But...there's going to be a day when I'm going to need your help. It'll be soon. I can't say when, for certain, but it will be soon. I'll suddenly seem confused; disoriented. I won't remember meeting you in Madam Malkin’s, or the rest of my summer, or the train ride or Ron or the Sorting or Sirius or anything. It'll be like none of it ever happened." He met Draco's stunned silver eyes and sighed. "When that happens, you'll need to take me to Snape. Hit me with Stupefy to contain me until you can get me to him, if you have to. My magic might...explode...if I panic. Can you do that?"  
  
"I suppose." Draco was staring at him hard. "So you'll just...forget me? Like we never met? We won't be best friends anymore?" He bit his lip and Harry found it cute that Draco seemed so worried about losing him. "I mean, _why?_ That's not _fair_..."  
  
"It'll only be temporary." Harry soothed as they continued through Hogwarts and down into the dungeons. "I'll remember everything eventually. Professor Snape is making a potion to help. It's just...it's a small spell-damage problem." Harry figured that was as good of an excuse for it as anything. "I'm sorry about it. I wish it didn't have to happen, believe me. I just need to know that you'll do whatever it takes to help me when it _does_."  
  
"Of course." Draco said as they stepped up to the blank wall that Harry knew hid the door to the Slytherin Common Room. Draco had trusted Harry to lead them there. "Blood purity." The wall moved and they stepped into the nearly-empty Common Room, receiving curious looks from the students still awake as they hurried off to find their dorm.  
  
"You're my best friend." Draco whispered it softly to Harry as they changed into pajamas and climbed into their beds, which were next to each other. "I'll help you no matter what. Always."  
  
And, for the first time, Harry trusted Draco Malfoy completely. He knew the blonde would keep that promise. No matter what. Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! Next chapter should be Harry snapping forward. What do you think so far? I hope you're okay with how I'm doing things. Let me know what you thought of the chapter, please. Feedback, as always, makes me happy!
> 
> ~ Lady S.


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